On the former country estate of the Chaplin family, "Manoir de Ban" in Corsier-sur-Vevey, a whole new world around the man with the bowler hat has been opened. And it’s here in the manor house with huge park that visitors learn of his private life while in the new building focus is on Chaplin’s artistic works.
Screenwriter and film producer Charlie Chaplin – the Tramp in "Modern Times" - settled in Manoir de Ban in Vevey. His statue on the lakeside promenade recalls his 25-year stay in the region. During his “Limelight” promotional tour in Europe, Charlie Chaplin (London 1889 - Vevey 1977) learnt that he would be refused re-entry to the United States because of McCarthyism. He decided to settle in Vevey with his spouse and his children, four of whom were to be born in Switzerland. The family lived at Manoir du Ban in Corsier, a neoclassical mansion built in 1840 and surrounded by a vast 14 ha park with century-old trees. His children went to a Swiss local school and Charlie Chaplin, at the height of his career, directed and acted in “A King in New York” (1957) and “The Princess of Hong Kong” (1967).
Charlie Chaplin was one of the most creative talents in the era of silent movies. He was an actor, producer, screenwriter, writer and composer and was noticed by Hollywood mostly for his miming technique. He rests next to his wife at the cemetery of Corsier. A bronze statue of The Tramp, on the lakeside promenade, reminds passers-by of his presence in Vevey.